List of All Articles with Tag 'tb'

There are few college coaching trees as impressive as the one stemming from Mike Leach.We may have lost "The Pirate" Mike Leach late last year, but he has so many proteges and disciples who will always proudly swing their sword in honor of him.Leach may have cut through all the noi...

Kenny McLean savoured a special moment in his career after his last-gasp winner earned Scotland a crucial three Euro 2024 qualifying points from a 2-1 victory in Norway. McLean struck a composed 89th-minute finish with his right foot 10 minutes after coming off the bench and two minutes after Lyndon Dykes had cancelled out Erling Haaland’s 61st-minute opener from the penalty spot. Left midfielder McLean said: “It was pretty special, a really good moment for everyone involved and obviously for the fans that travelled – it was amazing, I can hear them outside now. “Obviously I have only had the San Marino goal previously so I am delighted to score such a meaningful goal. “I don’t know if I was too happy with Dykesy – setting me up on my right – but thankfully it worked. It doesn’t come out much but thankfully it paid off.” McLean was part of a triple change from manager Steve Clarke which also saw Billy Gilmour and Stuart Armstrong come on, after Liam Cooper had earlier replaced the fatigued Kieran Tierney. The Norwich player said: “The manager is constantly going about the squad, it’s a squad game and that’s what we are always about. “The majority of times we make four or five subs so everyone needs to be ready and thankfully the lads that came on were. “We have worked for the last couple of weeks together, we had the camp in Spain and worked hard throughout, so to get the rewards is excellent.” Dykes was delighted with his goal and assist after a challenging night up front on his own in temperatures of about 30 degrees at kick-off. The QPR striker said: “It was a tough game. They played well. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to play but I was waiting for that opportunity all night and I was just happy to see it go in. “It’s a hard position sometimes, it doesn’t always go your way. Balls were coming up to me, flying everywhere and they were probably getting the better of me. But I was trying to keep my head and wait for the opportunity. “I have to keep rolling on and hopefully when the chances come, they go in because the ball rolling in that goal was the slowest thing I have ever seen in my life and I was having a heart attack. I was just happy to see it go over the line. “And obviously when Kenny scored, it was the icing on the cake.” Scotland extended their lead at the top of Group A but face a quick turnaround before Tuesday’s visit of Georgia. McLean said: “It was a massive step for us in the group but we have a lot of work to do and we have a game in a few days. “We will enjoy this now but we need to go and recover. Nobody wants to hear it but that’s what we have to do.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Justin Thomas predicts shortest hole in modern US Open history could be ‘spicy’ Dejan Kulusevski’s loan spell at Tottenham turned into permanent deal Usman Khawaja’s first ton in England ‘a bit more emotional’ after crowd taunts

Scotland manager Steve Clarke hailed the character and depth in his squad following their sensational late Euro 2024 qualifying comeback in Oslo. Clarke’s men stunned Norway with an unlikely turnaround as goals from Lyndon Dykes and substitute Kenny McLean in the final four minutes of normal time earned the Group A leaders a 2-1 victory. McLean was one of three changes Clarke made in the 79th minute and it proved just in time after Scotland struggled to pose a threat and fell behind to Erling Haaland’s 61st-minute penalty after the striker went down when Ryan Porteous got hold of his shirt. With Spain not playing, Scotland extended their lead at the top of Group A and moved eight points ahead of third seeds Norway. Clarke said: “I was pleased with the performance, we were disciplined and passed it quite well at times. “Obviously, you have got to soak up a lot of pressure against a good Norwegian team. And we never stopped believing. We keep going to the end and got our rewards. “It says a lot about the character, the spirit, the quality from the bench. One of the things I keep banging on about with this group of players, the quality we have got, they want to do well for their country. “And when I turn to the bench and I know I need to make changes to freshen it up, I am putting top-quality players on the pitch. “It was just about getting the timing right. After losing the goal, I felt it was better just to stay in the fight for a little bit to make sure the game didn’t run away from us. “After that we had to chase the game, it was pretty logical – you are going to take off a defender and push John McGinn a little bit further forward. “We brought Kenny to the game, Billy Gilmour to the game, brought Stuart Armstrong to the game, fresh legs to try and get forward and they were involved in most of the best things towards the end of the game. “Even Dominic (Hyam) comes on at the end and sticks his head on a couple. Congratulations to Dominic, first cap, not a bad place to do it, not a bad score.” Scotland’s win already puts them in a strong position with a perfect record ahead of Tuesday’s visit of Georgia, which will mark the halfway point in the campaign. Clarke said: “If we want to qualify for major tournaments, you know you have to go away from home against good teams and pick up points. This is three points which is big but we have to go again. “They are all in there recovering in an ice bath and we have to make sure we get three points on Tuesday to capitalise. It sets us up nicely for Tuesday, I am not looking beyond that.” Porteous is suspended for Tuesday after picking up a yellow card but Kieran Tierney could feature despite hobbling off, not long after the opener. When asked how the Arsenal defender was, Clarke said: “Tired. Just tired. He didn’t join us for the training camp. Not released by his club. “He joined us at the start of this week and felt a bit of tightness in his quad so we just protected him all week. “To get a good hour out of the lad was fantastic and shows that everybody is prepared to put their body on the line. And then we are bringing on Liam Cooper who is a top-quality defender.” Norway manager Stale Solbakken – whose side were left bottom of the group – bemoaned the turning point of the game when his defender’s interception fell for Dykes to nudge home. “It was an accident for Leo Ostigrad. I think it was cramp in both legs at the same time,” he said. “That’s how it is, we can’t blame him for that. I will have to take the blame for not substituting him if it was like that. “We are in a very difficult position.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Dejan Kulusevski’s loan spell at Tottenham turned into permanent deal Usman Khawaja’s first ton in England ‘a bit more emotional’ after crowd taunts Frustrated Stuart Broad blames costly no-ball on ‘pushing a little bit too hard’

Dejan Kulusevski has completed a permanent transfer to Tottenham from Juventus. The Sweden international arrived in north London on an 18-month loan in January 2022 and has been influential during what has been a difficult period for Spurs. He scored and registered an assist on his first start, a 3-2 victory against Manchester City at the Etihad in February last year, and has gone on to net seven goals in 57 appearances for the club. The initial loan deal included an option for Spurs to make a deal for the 23-year-old permanent for a reported £29.9million if certain conditions were met. His performances in the Premier League during 2022 were recognised with him receiving the award for best Swedish male player for the year. Prior to joining Tottenham, he played 55 times in Serie A for Juventus whom he joined from his first club Atalanta following a loan spell at Parma. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The two ACC schools the Big Ten and SEC might want the most are North Carolina and Virginia.While Clemson, Florida State and even Miami might make more sense in terms of conference expansion on the college football side of things, the two ACC schools leagues like the Big Ten and SEC might covet ...

Kenny McLean scored a dramatic 89th-minute winner for Scotland in Norway as the visitors turned their Euro 2024 qualifier on its head with two goals in as many minutes. Scotland were trailing to Erling Haaland’s 61st-minute penalty and had barely posed a threat before Lyndon Dykes capitalised on some hesitancy in the Norwegian defence to nudge the ball home after John McGinn’s attempted through ball had been intercepted. The Group A leaders soon ensured they continued their perfect start to the campaign when Dykes laid McGinn’s pass back to substitute McLean, who curled a low shot just inside the far post. The visitors wore black armbands in memory of Gordon McQueen, who scored his fifth and final international goal in a 4-0 win in the same stadium in 1979 on the previous occasion the teams met in a European Championship qualifier. And they provided a fitting tribute to the 30-times capped centre-back with a sensational comeback victory. Jack Hendry was handed possibly the most difficult task in world football at the moment when he was drafted in to play at the heart of a back three tasked with stopping Haaland. The Club Brugge defender was the only change to the team that beat Spain in March after Grant Hanley dropped out with a serious Achilles injury. The best chance of the first half fell to Norway forward Alexander Sorloth, who sent a free header from eight yards straight at Angus Gunn. Scotland struggled to retain possession in the opening 20 minutes before settling down somewhat. Andy Robertson produced two good runs and crosses but they did not lead to anything and McGinn was closed down quickly after getting a sight of goal following Ryan Christie’s cross. Steve Clarke’s side were employing a flat back five out of possession and trying to keep a high line. The only time Haaland got the ball in a decent position in the first half, Callum McGregor quickly tracked back to make a penalty-box tackle. The striker might have had a far better chance if he had not been hauled down by Hendry while beginning a chase for a ball over the top. Hendry was the last defender but only received a yellow card given the foul was on the halfway line. The Slovenian referee was a lot harsher in handing bookings to McGinn and Kieran Tierney either side of half-time. Ola Solbakken and McGinn saw decent long-range shots saved early in the second half before Hendry got away with some penalty-box grappling with Haaland, although the striker did not appeal unlike some of his team-mates. However, he did not have long to wait for a spot-kick. Ryan Porteous grabbed the striker’s shirt as he looked set to attack Sorloth’s cross and the referee immediately pointed to the spot when Haaland went down. Porteous in return received a yellow card which rules him out of Tuesday’s visit of Georgia. Gunn dived the right way and came close but was beaten by the power of the strike from Haaland, who had only scored once in his previous eight club matches but took his tally for the season for club and country to 59. Scotland soon lost Tierney to injury with Liam Cooper entering the fray and they were making no inroads into Norway’s lead before Clarke made a triple switch in the 79th minute and moved to a back four. McLean, Stuart Armstrong and Billy Gilmour came on. Haaland went off in the 84th minute and Scotland soon stunned the hosts and delighted their travelling fans with their late double whammy. Read More Hayley McQueen pays tribute to father Gordon after his death at 70 Romeo Beckham signs for Premier League club George Saville will never complain about lack of recognition for his hard work Romeo Beckham signs for Premier League club George Saville will never complain about lack of recognition for his hard work David Brooks accepts people will start to doubt Wales following Armenia defeat

Kenny McLean scored a dramatic 89th-minute winner for Scotland in Norway as the visitors turned their Euro 2024 qualifier on its head with two goals in as many minutes. Scotland were trailing to Erling Haaland’s 61st-minute penalty and had barely posed a threat before Lyndon Dykes capitalised on some hesitancy in the Norwegian defence to nudge the ball home after John McGinn’s attempted through ball had been intercepted. The Group A leaders soon ensured they continued their perfect start to the campaign when Dykes laid McGinn’s pass back to substitute McLean, who curled a low shot just inside the far post. The visitors wore black armbands in memory of Gordon McQueen, who scored his fifth and final international goal in a 4-0 win in the same stadium in 1979 on the previous occasion the teams met in a European Championship qualifier. And they provided a fitting tribute to the 30-times capped centre-back with a sensational comeback victory. Jack Hendry was handed possibly the most difficult task in world football at the moment when he was drafted in to play at the heart of a back three tasked with stopping Haaland. The Club Brugge defender was the only change to the team that beat Spain in March after Grant Hanley dropped out with a serious Achilles injury. The best chance of the first half fell to Norway forward Alexander Sorloth, who sent a free header from eight yards straight at Angus Gunn. Scotland struggled to retain possession in the opening 20 minutes before settling down somewhat. Andy Robertson produced two good runs and crosses but they did not lead to anything and McGinn was closed down quickly after getting a sight of goal following Ryan Christie’s cross. Steve Clarke’s side were employing a flat back five out of possession and trying to keep a high line. The only time Haaland got the ball in a decent position in the first half, Callum McGregor quickly tracked back to make a penalty-box tackle. The striker might have had a far better chance if he had not been hauled down by Hendry while beginning a chase for a ball over the top. Hendry was the last defender but only received a yellow card given the foul was on the halfway line. The Slovenian referee was a lot harsher in handing bookings to McGinn and Kieran Tierney either side of half-time. Ola Solbakken and McGinn saw decent long-range shots saved early in the second half before Hendry got away with some penalty-box grappling with Haaland, although the striker did not appeal unlike some of his team-mates. However, he did not have long to wait for a spot-kick. Ryan Porteous grabbed the striker’s shirt as he looked set to attack Sorloth’s cross and the referee immediately pointed to the spot when Haaland went down. Porteous in return received a yellow card which rules him out of Tuesday’s visit of Georgia. Gunn dived the right way and came close but was beaten by the power of the strike from Haaland, who had only scored once in his previous eight club matches but took his tally for the season for club and country to 59. Scotland soon lost Tierney to injury with Liam Cooper entering the fray and they were making no inroads into Norway’s lead before Clarke made a triple switch in the 79th minute and moved to a back four. McLean, Stuart Armstrong and Billy Gilmour came on. Haaland went off in the 84th minute and Scotland soon stunned the hosts and delighted their travelling fans with their late double whammy. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Andy Murray reaches back-to-back finals after beating Nuno Borges in Nottingham Jodie Burrage sets up all-British final with Katie Boulter in Nottingham Remco Evenepoel pays tribute to Gino Mader during Tour de Suisse stage win

Lane Kiffin getting Austin Simmons to not only flip from Florida to Ole Miss but to reclassify for 2023 is yet another tough blow to the early part of Billy Napier's Gainesville tenure.As if Ole Miss needed another quarterback, Lane Kiffin was able to get Austin Simmons to flip from Florida...

The key in Deion Sanders being able to turn around Colorado is all about player development.Deion Sanders knows he cannot do it alone, which is why he has assembled quite the coaching staff at Colorado to hasten the turnaround for the long, downtrodden Buffaloes program.But why Colorado? San...

Brentford B have announced the signing of Romeo Beckham from Inter Miami on a one-year deal following an impressive loan spell. The 20-year-old son of David Beckham – who is co-owner of Inter Miami – spent the second half of last season on loan with Brentford’s B side but has now put pen to paper on a permanent contract, with the option of a further year. Beckham helped the Bees lift the Premier League Cup last season and featured 15 times, scoring a late goal against National League side Wealdstone in the Middlesex Senior Cup. Brentford B head coach Neil MacFarlane will be hoping the youngster can continue where he left off in west London. He told the club website: “We added Romeo to our squad in January and he’s been fantastic for the group. “He’s had a terrific end to the season in terms of his recent match against Manchester City where he showed what he’s learned during his loan with us. “We’ve continued to develop him in and out of possession and we look forward to him coming back in good spirits to continue working with him next season.” Read More George Saville will never complain about lack of recognition for his hard work David Brooks accepts people will start to doubt Wales following Armenia defeat Legendary commentator Martin Tyler steps down from Sky Sports role after 33 years

George Saville will never complain about a lack of recognition for his work in the Millwall and Northern Ireland engine rooms, but when praise came his way at the end of the season he was delighted to get it. Saville has made his career out of doing the dirty work in midfield, the sort of unglamorous role which can go unnoticed. But the 30-year-old was third in the running for Millwall’s player of the season award after being singled out by manager Gary Rowett for praise during a play-off push which fell short on the final day of the Championship season as Blackburn came from 3-1 down to win 4-3 at The Den. “With the manager having that trust in me, how he spoke to me at the back end of the season was fantastic and to get recognition at that level was great,” Saville told the PA news agency. “I’ve had a good season personally, my confidence is good, my fitness is good. It’s just a shame we missed out on the play-offs on the final day when it was in our hands. But that’s football. “You learn lessons and hopefully that makes the team stronger. For me as an individual I do what I can every time I step on the pitch and long may it continue.” Saville is playing some of the best football of his career, and was a strong performer again as Northern Ireland suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Group H top seeds Denmark, working tirelessly to support young, relatively inexperienced colleagues in his side’s injury-ravaged midfield. “I enjoy the hard work and that side of the game,” Saville added. “In club football I do the same thing, I play a deeper role for Millwall. A lot of work goes unnoticed but I don’t need a pat on the back or for anyone to say well done for doing this or that. “I don’t need a high profile, I’m happy to do what I need to do for the team and if that goes unnoticed so be it. As long as it helps the team that’s the main thing.” Friday was Saville’s 45th cap but he is yet to score in international football, a fact he is not always happy to be reminded of. Saville gets his share of goals at club level, and remains convinced he can one day get on the scoresheet for Northern Ireland. “I wouldn’t say it plays on my mind,” he said. “I’ve had opportunities to score. For club level I’ve scored goals, it’s just something that I feel like will still come. I don’t think about it much, I’m more focused on the team. “I’m in the right areas. I’m an optimistic person. I think it will come but the main objective for me now is qualifying for a major championships.” Saville is enjoying once again working under Michael O’Neill, the man who gave him his international debut in 2017, and who returned to the Northern Ireland job in December after a spell at Stoke. “Michael first brought me in so for me it’s great,” he said. “We’ve got a great relationship and understanding and he’s someone I really enjoy working with, I really enjoy having Michael as a manager. “As a person he’s the same old Michael. He’s had different experiences and he’s come back to a different squad. We’ve lost a few experienced lads. “In the last couple of camps it’s been a young squad and now they are coming through and it’s become more that way. It’s a different situation for us and for him and one we’re all adapting to and trying to give ourselves the best opportunity.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live David Brooks accepts people will start to doubt Wales following Armenia defeat Michael O’Neill not thinking about Northern Ireland qualifying for Euro 2024 Gareth Southgate wants England to retain winning mentality on road to Euro 2024

David Brooks accepts that “people will be starting to doubt us” following Wales’ humiliating 4-2 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat against Armenia. Wales would have gone top of Pool D had they beaten a team 71 places below them in the world rankings. And life will not get any easier in terms of the battle for automatic qualification as Wales face an appointment with group leaders Turkey in Samsun on Monday. “If we win that, we go back into a position of power,” Brooks said. “We all know that, and that is what we are going to be trying to do. “We all know what we want to achieve – we want to get to the major tournaments. We have two days to kind of get over it and get back to work. “I think people will be starting to doubt us, but we have got to go and try and put in a performance to prove all those people wrong. “We all want to get to a major tournament, so nothing has changed.” Wales’ first European Championship qualifying defeat at home since 2011 dropped them to third in the group as Turkey won 3-2 in Latvia. Lucas Zelarayan and Grant-Leon Ranos both scored twice as Armenia secured one of the greatest victories in their football history. And Welsh misery was completed by the dismissal of Kieffer Moore, who was adjudged to have committed foul play by Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov after tangling with goalkeeper Ognjen Chancharevich. He will miss the Turkey clash. Brooks added: “Four goals at home isn’t good enough, I think we all know that, and we will be getting together and trying to figure out how to put that right in two days’ time. “Bigger teams than us have done that to us, and we’ve caused upset results. It happens near enough every week in the Premier League, and we all knew that going into the game. They took their chances well. “I’ve spoken to Kieffer. I don’t think he thinks he’s done a lot. They were kind of making a meal out of everything. “Kieffer is a big part of what we want to do, so he is going to be a big miss for Turkey.” Brooks’ return to the international arena was a highlight of an often chaotic night at Cardiff City Stadium. He was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty in October 2021, and Brooks received a standing ovation when he went on as a second-half substitute. “It was special,” he said. “It has been a long two years to finally put that Wales shirt back on. “To get the reception that I did, especially when I came on – I could hear every single one of them (fans) – and I just want to say thank you.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Michael O’Neill not thinking about Northern Ireland qualifying for Euro 2024 Gareth Southgate wants England to retain winning mentality on road to Euro 2024 Josh Cullen admits Republic of Ireland have no excuses after Greece defeat